HHS tells staff they are not required to respond to DOGE email
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has told staff at its agencies that they are not required to respond to an email sent by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) over the weekend asking workers to submit a report to their managers listing roughly five of their accomplishments from the week prior. HHS told those who still wish to respond to be careful about what information they share and to consider cybersecurity implications.On 22 February, OPM emailed more than 2 million federal workers, calling them to report on their previous week’s achievements by midnight on 24 February. On the social media platform X, which he owns, Elon Musk stated that refusing to respond to the email would be considered an act of resignation, raising questions about the legality of the directive and cybersecurity hygiene. While Musk has been widely reported to be running the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a rebranding of the US Digital Service, the White House has recently denied that Musk holds an official position with DOGE, though recent comments by Trump have put that denial in question.
According to an email reviewed by Focus, HHS told staff on 24 February that the matter had been discussed with OPM and that they had decided to rescind the “mandatory requirement.”
“There is no HHS expectation that HHS employees respond to OPM and there is no impact to your employment with the agency if you choose not to respond,” said the email.
However, HHS said that if employees choose to respond, they must do so by the original deadline and include their supervisor in the email. A key concern raised by the department is the potential of the emails to be intercepted by malicious actors.
“Assume that what you write will be read by malign foreign actors and tailor your response accordingly,” said HHS.
Staff were also asked to keep their responses to a high level of generality and describe their work in a manner that protects sensitive data, personally identifiable information, and applicable privileges. Staff engaged in scientific research or reviews were told not to identify by name any drugs, devices, biologics, therapeutics, or other similar items.
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